Wynne Government Talks About Justice But Delivers Poverty
Raise the Rates Provincial Week of Action: October 13 – 20th
List of Events Below
MPPs will be going back to Queen’s Park on October 20 but, during the week before, they will be in their local communities and in their constituency offices. Doubtless Liberal MPP’s will be feeling quite smug after their election win and telling people about how committed to ‘fairness’ and ‘social justice’ they are.
Communities living in poverty know from bitter experience that the reality they face is very different:
- The minimum wage has been set at a level that leaves people in poverty
- People on Ontario Works (OW) and ODSP are living on incomes that leave them unable to feed themselves and pay the rent
- The real value of social assistance payments has fallen by 55% since 1994 and people have continued to get poorer during the years the Liberals have been in office
- The vital Community Start Up benefit that kept people housed has been taken away
- The Special Diet benefit that put food on the table for thousands has been slashed
- People on ODSP are now facing medical reviews that threaten to take away their income
The Raise the Rates Campaign, a coalition of poor people fighting back along with community and union allies, is not buying into Kathleen Wynne’s ‘social justice austerity’. We are demanding living wages, decent income, the reversing of cutbacks and adequate and secure ODSP benefits.
From October 13-20th, we’ll be going to MPP’s and provincial offices and Liberal events with our demands and holding events throughout Ontario. The Wynne Government is going to have to understand that people in poverty are fighting back.
**Announcing Raise the Rates Week of Action Events!**
Toronto:
Join community members in Weston-King
Tuesday, October 14th, 5:30pm
Weston-King Neighborhood Centre: 2017 Weston Rd (at King St)
Meal and Discussion on Raise the Rates
Join Educators for Peace and Justice
Wednesday, October 15th, 5:00pm
Ministry of Education, Bay and Wellsley
Poverty is an Education Issue: installation / street theatre and flyering
Join the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
Thursday, October 16th 12:00PM
George St. South of Gerrard
Meal then March to Glen Murrays office
ocap@tao.ca /www.ocap.ca / 416-925-6939
Join Jane Finch Action Against Poverty
Friday, October 17th 4-7PM
Southeast corner of Jane and Finch
Dancing, food, Rally
https://www.facebook.com/events/1508544179384461/
janefinchactionagainstpoverty@gmail.com
Ottawa:
Join Poverty Makes Us Sick Ottawa
Friday, October 17th 12:00 PM
Cdn Museum of Nature park (O’Connor and Argyle)
Meal and Rally and March
raisetheratesottawa@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/events/599647510147620/
Sudbury:
Join Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty
Thursday, October 16th 1:30PM
Memorial Park
March to provincial building Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty:https://www.facebook.com/groups/257339454351403/
Kitchener-Waterloo:
Join Poverty Makes Us Sick KW
Thursday, October 16th 5:00 PM
Food and MARCH
Kitchener City Hall
200 King Street West, Kitchener
https://www.facebook.com/events/535255453285044/
Guelph:
Join OPIRG Guelph and the Raise the Rates Campaign
Thursday, October 16th, 7pm
Panel and Discussion: Poverty in Guelph, Raise the Rates of Welfare and Disability Now!
Then join the Raise the Rates Gue;ph Rally
Friday, October 17th, 1pm
Liz Sandals’ office, 173 Woolwich Street
Contact: volunteer@opirgguelph.org
______10 Carden St, Downtown
Cobourg:
Join the Northumberland Coalition Against Poverty
Tuesday, October 14th, 7:00PM
Delegation to City Council on Homelessness
https://www.facebook.com/groups/northumberland.cap/
For more updates visit raisetherates.ca or like Raise the Rates on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaiseTheRates
If you want to be part of an action in your community during October or want to help build one, email raisetheratescampaign@gmail.com, call OCAP at 416 925 6939